Longtime Chelsea Editor Launches Hyperlocal News Website

CHELSEA, NY — A new hyperlocal news website with a focus on Chelsea launched this week. Longtime Chelsea resident Scott Stiffler launched Chelsea Community News with the hopes of bringing more coverage to the neighborhood.

"From what I've heard, there is a real hunger for it," Stiffler told Patch. "People have noticed the structural changes in their local papers, and what the focus is now versus what it used to be."

Since 2010, Stiffler was the editor of Chelsea Now — a neighborhood-based newspaper under the parent company Schneps Media, a Queens-based media organization. In November 2018, about two months after the company acquired the paper from former publishers Jennifer and Les Goodstein, Stiffler was let go among a string of layoffs, he said.

By January 2019, Chelsea Now had re-branded underneath The Villager's website, which also included Downtown Express and Manhattan Express.

(DISCLOSURE: Patch reporter Sydney Pereira previously worked at The Villager, Downtown Express, Manhattan Express and Chelsea Now).

The idea for Chelsea Community News was born of a conversation with Pamela Wolff of the Chelsea West 200 Block Association about possibly launching a newsletter for Chelsea block associations shortly after he was laid off in November, he said.

By the end of their conversation, Stiffler decided to launch the website — bringing on many former Chelsea Now freelance photographers and reporters, many of which he had worked with since 2010, he said.

Stiffler has secured nearly $4,500 in a GoFundMe campaign in the past month, with a goal of reaching $35,000. Some advertising space has already been sold, he said.

Funds are limited — much of the project is born of Stiffler's dedication to the neighborhood — but the cash, so far, is enough to buy the domain name, set up a website, and commission freelance work for at least the next four to six weeks, he said.

"It's a community effort all the way around," said David Hemenway, a Chelsea acupuncturist involved in a Chelsea block association. "It's very critical to document what is taking place and hopefully address what's taking place," especially affordable housing and tenants' rights issues, he said.

Stiffler hopes Chelsea Community News will add more news coverage in the neighborhood — though the coverage will likely dip into Hell's Kitchen, Hudson Yards and the Village. Many freelancers have been covering Chelsea for years.

"It’s bringing this collective voice that has been reporting about the neighborhood for years," Stiffler said.

Chelsea Community News has kicked off with former Chelsea Now freelancer Winnie McCroy's reporting on the possible closure of a beloved, affordable grocery store near New York City Housing Authority's Fulton Houses.

Another reporter, Mark Nimar, covered a meeting on the Parks Department's plans to improve Chelsea Park — a nearly $1 million project in the space where the annual Grashopa Basketball Tournament takes place. Sam Bleiberg covered the upcoming L train slowdown with insights from Chelsea business owners.

"Scott's connection with the community is really strong," said Daniel Kwak, a freelance photographer for Chelsea Community News.

"I think it's going to be hugely impactful," Kwak said. "To start something completely from scratch, to do everything that you wanted to do but couldn't, is huge."